Colston, Hartley spur Saints

Published November 18, 2013 - 12:05am

the associated press

NEW ORLEANS — Marques Colston capped a record-setting day with a 20-yard reception to get the Saints into field goal range, and Garrett Hartley kicked a 31-yarder as time expired, lifting host New Orleans over San Francisco 23-20 on Sunday.

Hartley, who had missed four field goals in the Saints’ previous three games, made all three of his field goal attempts in the fourth quarter — he earlier hit from 21 and 42 yards. The Saints (8-2) overcame three turnovers, a failed fourth down conversion and a 20-14 deficit.

Colston finished with five catches for 80 yards to become the Saints’ all-time leader in yards receiving with 7,923, passing Eric Martin’s two-decade-old mark of 7,854.

Colin Kaepernick completed 17 of 31 passes for only 127 yards and was sacked three times as the Niners (6-4) lost their second straight.

BEARS 23, RAVENS 20, OT

CHICAGO — Robbie Gould kicked a 38-yard field goal to lift Chicago over Baltimore in a game delayed about two hours by a torrential downpour.

Justin Tucker tied it for the Ravens with a 21-yard field goal at the end of regulation.

The big delay came after Tucker kicked a 52-yard field goal with 4:51 remaining in the first quarter. Fans were ordered to take cover. Players headed to the locker rooms as heavy rains and winds whipped through Soldier Field. They emerged about two hours later with the sky clearing and the sun coming out, but the rain and wind returned in the third quarter, turning the stands into a sea of ponchos.

Gould won it with a 38-yarder on third-and-8 with 8:41 left in OT.

EAGLES 24, REDSKINS 16

PHILADELPHIA — Nick Foles threw for 298 yards and ran for a touchdown, LeSean McCoy had two TDs rushing and Philadelphia snapped a 10-game home losing streak.

A year after finishing 4-12 under Andy Reid, Chip Kelly’s Eagles (6-5) are first in the NFC East. They’re a half-game ahead of idle Dallas (5-5). The defending division champion Redskins fell to 3-7.

BENGALS 40, BROWNS 21

CINCINNATI — Andy Dalton threw two touchdown passes and Cincinnati returned a blocked punt and a fumble for touchdowns during a 31-point second quarter that set a Bengals record and swept the AFC North leaders over Cleveland.

The Bengals (7-4) head into their bye week with their division lead intact. They’d lost their last two games in overtime, tying the NFL record and allowing the Browns (4-6) to draw close.

The biggest quarter in club history left this one in hand by halftime. It ended as the most lopsided game in the intrastate series since Cincinnati’s 30-0 win in Cleveland in 2006.

STEELERS 37, LIONS 27

PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger passed for 367 yards and four touchdowns, including two in the final 5 minutes as Pittsburgh rallied to beat Detroit.

Antonio Brown caught seven passes for 147 yards and two scores and Pittsburgh’s defense rebounded from a horrific second quarter to shut out Detroit in the second half. The Steelers (4-6) have won two straight and kept the Lions (6-4) winless in Pittsburgh for 58 years and counting.

Matthew Stafford threw for 362 yards with two touchdowns and an interception to become the Lions’ all-time leading passer.

BILLS 37, JETS 14

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Jairus Byrd had two interceptions in leading a Buffalo defense that forced four turnovers from New York.

Kyle Williams had two sacks and forced a fumble, and Da’Norris Searcy returned Geno Smith’s third interception 32 yards for a touchdown. Buffalo (4-7) snapped a three-game skid and won for only the second time in seven games.

Two men were taken to a Buffalo hospital after one fell from the third deck of Ralph Wilson Stadium and landed on the other. According to an ambulance service report, the man who was hit by the falling man sustained a head injury. The man who fell sustained a shoulder injury, which was not considered life-threatening.

The accident occurred during the second quarter.

RAIDERS 28, TEXANS 23

HOUSTON — Rookie Matt McGloin threw three touchdown passes in his first NFL start and Oakland extended Houston’s franchise-record skid to eight games in Texans coach Gary Kubiak’s return from a mini-stroke.

McGloin, an undrafted free agent, was 18 of 32 for 197 yards in place of an injured Terrelle Pryor.

Kubiak wasn’t on the sidelines, instead coaching upstairs from the booth on doctor’s orders two weeks after collapsing at halftime of Houston’s game against Indianapolis.

CARDINALS 27,

JAGUARS 14

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Carson Palmer threw for 419 yards and two scores and did not throw an interception for the first time all year, leading Arizona over Jacksonville.

Michael Floyd had a career-high 193 yards receiving, including a 91-yard touchdown on a catch-and-run. Will Blackmon was beaten on the play, and then slipped off the receiver and rolled into cornerback Alan Ball to set Floyd free the rest of the way.

The Jaguars (1-9) at least scored a touchdown at home for the first time this year. On fourth-and-2 from the 38 on the opening drive, Chad Henne found tight end Danny Noble behind the defense for a 62-yard score. It was Noble’s first NFL reception.

BUCCANEERS 41,

FALCONS 28

TAMPA, Fla. — Bobby Rainey rushed for 163 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Tampa Bay over struggling Atlanta.

A waiver wire pickup who’s filling in for the injured Doug Martin and Mike James, Rainey scored on first-half runs of 43 and 3 yards. He caught a 4-yard TD pass from Mike Glennon in the third quarter to help the Bucs (2-8) win for the second straight time following an 0-8 start.

The Falcons (2-8) have lost four straight by a combined score of 135-61.

GIANTS 27, PACKERS 13

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul scored on a spectacular, leaping 24-yard fourth-quarter interception return and the resurgent Giants won their fourth game in a row by beating slumping and injured-riddled Green Bay.

Eli Manning threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Rueben Randle and Brandon Jacobs added a 1-yard run as the Giants (4-6) handed the Packers (5-5) their third straight loss, their longest skid since a five-game losing streak near the end of 2008.

SEAHAWKS 41, VIKINGS 20

SEATTLE — Percy Harvin made an impact in his season debut, returning a kickoff 58 yards late in the first half to set up Russell Wilson’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin, and the Seahawks rolled to their franchise-record 13th straight home win by beating Minnesota.

Harvin made his anticipated Seattle debut after missing the first 10 weeks of the regular season following hip surgery. His kickoff return proved one of the biggest plays as Seahawks improved to 10-1 and stayed on top of the NFC heading into their bye week.

Wilson and Marshawn Lynch wouldn’t let Harvin’s debut take the entire spotlight. Wilson had two touchdown passes, while Lynch had two touchdowns running and one receiving.

DOLPHINS 20,

CHARGERS 16

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami held San Diego without a touchdown over the final three quarters, and Brent Grimes broke up Philip Rivers’ final pass in the end zone as time expired.

The victory gave the Dolphins something to celebrate amid a harassment scandal that has raised questions about the team’s locker room culture. An NFL special investigator will question players this week about what might have happened between Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito.

Ryan Tannehill threw for 268 yards, including a 39-yard score to Charles Clay, who broke two tackles on the play. Miami managed 104 yards rushing behind a makeshift line.